Three and a half year in jail for Lalu Prasad Yadav

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday was sentenced to three-and-a-half years jail in a fodder scam case by the Special CBI court in Ranchi. The court also imposed Rs 5 Lakh fine on Lalu.

"The court has awarded three-and-a-half years jail to Lalu Prasad and ₹10 lakh fine to him".

While quoting party's state president Ramchandra Purve, it is reported by the media sources that, Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition and Lalu's son, is likely to become the party's CM face for the 2020 Assembly post. The conviction means he can not contest an election and he faces at least one more case.

The 69-year-old RJD supremo, in a written plea on Thursday, had sought leniency from the CBI court citing illness and old age, according to his counsel Chittaranjan Prasad. "But they should remember that we still have High Court and Supreme Court to appeal against the judgement by CBI court", said Tejashwi. "He was chosen (by the people of Bihar in an election) and he's in jail", said the former Deputy Chief Minister in the Grand Alliance government.

However, the court could not pronounce the quantum of punishment on January 5 as well and the sentencing deferred for one more day.

Last month the anti-corruption court found Yadav guilty of fraudulently withdrawing almost $140,000 from the state treasury in a larger fraud dubbed the "fodder scam", which was worth about 10 billion rupees ($157 million).